Audio 3:40
Continuing unrest over Zimmerman verdict

Michael VincentUpdated
Wed Jul 17 09:04:00 EST 2013

In the US, there's growing anger amongst the African American community about the weekend acquittal of George Zimmerman who shot and killed an unarmed black teenager. The Florida jury of six women - five of whom were white - took less than two days to find the neighbourhood watch volunteer not guilty. Civil rights leaders have declared Florida a new battleground for their cause.

Transcript

SALLY SARA: In the US, there's growing anger among the African-American community about the weekend acquittal of George Zimmerman, who shot and killed an unarmed black teenager.

The Florida jury of six women - five of whom were white - took less than two days to find the neighbourhood watch volunteer not guilty.

Civil rights leaders have declared Florida a new battleground for their cause and the Reverend Al Sharpton has rallied community leaders to ramp up peaceful protests in 100 cities this weekend.

But last night police moved in on demonstrators in Los Angeles and Oakland who became violent.

North America correspondent Michael Vincent reports.

MICHAEL VINCENT: In Los Angeles a group of protestors split from a peaceful vigil and went on a rampage.

Windows were smashed, fires were lit, cars and buildings damaged and a local Walmart raided.

AUDIO FROM CHOPPER: Right there Jack. Mark that one. LAPD just shot that guy there, beanbags rather.

MICHAEL VINCENT: Hundreds of police in riot gear responded.

POLICE WARNING: I hereby declare this to be an unlawful assembly and in the name of the people of the state of California command all those assembled to immediately disperse.

MICHAEL VINCENT: Community leaders say anyone who is violent doesn't represent the family nor the memory of Trayvon Martin.

Reverend Al Sharpton.

AL SHARPTON: On Saturday night with the verdict we lost a battle, but the war is not over and we intend to fight. Let me say before we open up that we urge all that participate with us to do so non-violently and peacefully.

AL SHARPTON: Florida will be the battleground of a new civil rights movement and all over the country the Stand Your Ground law. The Stand Your Ground law was not used directly at this trial but had everything to do with what happened at the trial.

Mr Zimmerman was not arrested the night he killed Trayvon Martin because of Stand Your Ground.

MICHAEL VINCENT: Reverend Sharpton cited the case of a black woman who fired a warning shot at a wall to stop her violent husband from approaching her. She was jailed for 20 years.

AL SHARPTON: They refused to let her use Stand Your Ground in Jacksonville Florida and she is doing 20 years in jail. There's something incongruous that a woman that hurts nobody is doing 20 years and a man that kills a young, innocent, unarmed man is given his gun back and sent home.

MICHAEL VINCENT: There's clear support for change from president Barack Obama's administration.

US Attorney-General Eric Holder is the first African-American to hold the position. Today he addressed America's biggest black lobby group, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, at their national convention in Florida.

ERIC HOLDER: Separate and apart from the case that has drawn the nation's attention, it's time to question laws that senselessly expand the concept of self defence and sow dangerous conflict in our neighbourhoods.

(Applause)

These laws try to fix something that was never broken. There has always been a legal defence for using deadly force if - and the "if" is important - if no safe retreat is available. But we must examine laws that take this further by eliminating the common sense and age old requirement that people who feel threatened have a duty to retreat.

MICHAEL VINCENT: Eric Holder has also urged those taking part in the planned mass protests to remain peaceful.